In real life, Rachel Bilson looks more like her OC character, Summer, than Summer does. Dressed in a flowered empire dress, ballet flats, and a shrunken cardigan, her black hair wound back in a wavy bun and a little Chihuahua-mix dog tucked under her arm, she perfectly personifies the type of pretty, well-heeled southern California girl she plays on TV.

And it's little wonder that the line between the 25-year-old actress and her character has blurred — they have a lot in common. For starters, they date the same guy (Adam Brody, aka Seth Cohen), hang with the same gal pal (Mischa Barton, aka Marissa...before her demise), and are both products of a glamorous upbringing (Rachel's the daughter of writer/director/producer Danny Bilson and the granddaughter of director Bruce Bilson).

Despite those showbiz connections, Rachel didn't really pursue acting until her late teens. In fact, it was only during a brief stint at San Diego's Grossmont College that she started auditioning for commercials and show pilots...and eventually came this close to getting a part on Everwood. That role went to another actress, but the show's producer was so wowed by Rachel that he recommended her to Josh Schwartz, who was casting for The OC. According to Rachel, Josh had envisioned Summer as a tall California blond, but as soon as she squealed the words "I gotta pee" in a Summer-like tone, the role was hers.

Now Rachel is making her big-screen debut in The Last Kiss, a coming-of-age drama about a group of friends grappling with the idea of settling down. In the movie, Rachel plays a college chick who falls hard for an older guy with a pregnant girlfriend (Zach Braff) whom she meets at a wedding. Here, she fills Cosmo in on Adam, The OC, and her big-screen foray.

You, Mischa, Ben, and Adam were inseparable when the show first started. Do you still all hang out as much?
Yeah, Adam's all right. I've come to like him a little [giggles]. We still all genuinely like one another, and we're still close. We don't all go out as much together, but I still see Mischa a lot. She's like part of my family. We hang out, go shopping.

Do you guys double-date?
Yeah. I love Cisco [Adler]. He's a good guy and really funny. A guy that's funny can win your heart.

Hmmm...speaking of funny guys, how did you and Adam first get together?
It happened really naturally. I didn't really know Adam's sense of humor, so I thought he was a dick. I totally did! But then I got to know his sense of humor and realized that's just how he is. I think our senses of humor bounce off each other well.

What's your favorite date with Adam?
It could be going to a basketball game. I love basketball games. I have my favorite restaurant in Chinatown, so I guess going to that restaurant and then going to watch a game. Or it could be watching movies and ordering in, which I love too. We also both love this place called Canter's Deli, and we go almost every day. There's a sandwich I always get — the Matt Miller. It's named after one of Josh Schwartz's best friends. It's turkey, Muenster cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing grilled on challah bread.

Do you think it's a good idea to live together before you get married?
I believe in living together. I don't believe in rules. Just go with the flow and do whatever feels right to you. I live with my friend Lea, and we've lived together for three years. We're looking for a new house right now. She's like my wife. We're still in our 20s, and it's fun to have your girlfriends and be able to do that because one day you're going to be living alone or with your man.

A lot of stars get married really young. Can you see yourself doing that?
I don't judge anyone who does it, but I believe that you should really put in the time before you make that jump, because it's important to know that you're compatible with someone. You may like them on a whim, but you never know — five years from now, you guys could be totally different people. There's a lot of growing up to do when you're so young. You don't really know who you are. I used to think I'd be married by 25. Now it's jumped to 30 or 32.

What do you think is sexy?
The guy has to be funny. He can be Screech, but if he makes you laugh, you're like "You're kind of cute." And they have to wear the right shoes…like the right pair of tennis shoes…cool ones. I can't explain it, but you can meet a guy and you see his shoes and you're like "Oh no!" My tastes vary so much. When I was younger, I loved hip-hop guys, like Eminem types...or like Justin Timberlake. I guess I like them all. Now I think Andy Samberg is so cute. He's on Saturday Night Live — the nice Jewish guy.

In The Last Kiss, you pursue Zach's character hard. Have you ever gone after a guy that aggressively?
No, I'm completely the opposite. I would never go up to a guy like she did. She fully went for it. I always joke around with Zach by saying, "Like it would really happen that a 19-year-old would see you across a wedding and be like 'Who is that?'" We became good friends filming the movie.

Your character doesn't get the guy. Do you have any experience with rejection?
This is totally embarrassing. One of my best friends and I fought over this guy in high school. I remember him telling me he wanted to take me to the prom, and then he went with her. Now that's rejection.

What was it like filming that sex scene with Zach?
I had pasties on so I wouldn't show anything, but it was really weird to go through something that intimate with someone. I was lucky enough to do it with someone like him. He would make me laugh after we shot. My mom sawthe movie, and she loved the scene. That's my mom though -- she's very open with sexuality. My dad hasn't seen it, and I'm terrified about that. My older brother is already like "I can't see it." Adam hasn't seen it either.

Would you ever do a nude scene?
It depends. If you're with Johnny Depp and you've got to get naked, you get naked. They wanted me to get naked in The Last Kiss -- not totally naked but showing my boobs -- and I wouldn't do it in my first role.

Do you feel pressure from Hollywood to be superskinny?
There's so much pressure. I feel like people are now like "Oh my God, you're so skinny." I'm like "I haven't changed anything." My mom is really little. We're petite, but we're Italian and we have curves. I'm just so busy and on the go that I'm not sitting down to meals three times a day. I snack a lot though. Lea was helping me pack yesterday to move, and she said every single purse of mine she went through had the same stuff in it: loose change, a tampon, gum, and all sorts of candy. I'm talking Snickers bars and Sour Skittles. I love sugar.

What do you do with your girlfriends?
Oh my God, we're so silly. We love to watch movies.The latest one we like is Just Friends, which is hysterical. We've seen it like 500 times. We love our signature movies, and we're always quoting them — things like The Wedding Singer and The Sweetest Thing. We have all these inside jokes watching Friends or Sex and the City DVDs. It's anormal girl fest. Once in a while, we go out dancing. I really like to dance. But I don't drink...only once in a while, because usually if I drink, I get sick.

What's something your friends tease you about?
I have a hard time listening and paying attention a lot of the time. Like I'll be talking about something, and then totally out of nowhere, I'll say, "I love puppies." My thoughts will just come out like that.

Which young actress do you admire the most?
It used to be that I loved how Katie Holmes went from Dawson's Creek to the movies. She actually made good choices. Now I love Michelle Williams. I think she's brilliant. She stayed under the radar and then gave this great performance. I really respect her.

What's the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you?
Probably when I met Christian Slater at the Pediatric AIDS Foundation carnival, and we were in a booth together.I turned to him and was like "I loved Kuffs." The first movie that came to my mind was Kuffs? Later on I thought, You couldn't have come up with True Romance or Pump Up the Volume? And he's like "Oh great—Kuffs? That's my legacy?"I made such a fool of myself. I have to say that I do that alot. Then he said we should take a picture together and autograph it and give it to each other. I was like "Okay." He said, "I had your picture up in my dressing room in London."I was like "What? You had a picture of me?" He really must have been joking.

What would you say is the bravest thing you've done in your life?
I think becoming an independent woman. You have tobe really brave to be able to do things on your own. For example, being able to travel alone. I was just in New York for a couple of days alone. I sat down at a restaurant and ate by myself…didn't have a book or anything with me. I remember I saw the Sex and the City where Samantha was waiting for a date who never showed up, and she didn't have any of her armor with her to dine alone. That's how I was. It's really nice to sit and be with yourself and enjoy your meal. Sometimes I love being by myself. I love justlaying in bed watching bad TV.